Every section in every decent newspaper out there can squeeze two feature stories out of the Earth finishing another revolution around the Sun– one that takes “a look back at 2007” and another with predictions on the “hot new things” for 2008. And travel writers are notorious list-makers, so, well, here’s another one. London’s Times has come out with its 40 travel trends and trips for 2008.

In its “Where in the world to go” section, the Times jumps on the Argentina bandwagon, citing the still-favorable exchange rate. It also mentions China because of the upcoming Olympics, and Egypt because of a brand-new five-star resort for people who make a lot more money than I do.

The list also looks at some of Lonely Planet’s forecasts for the new year: “The guidebook publisher highlights two big themes in travel for 2008: travelling to Muslim countries and seeing endangered wildlife. It recommends visiting “countries of the crescent” such as Brunei, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan to “debunk [the] myths and stereotypes” surrounding Islam. Trips to see endangered animals – often helping to contribute to projects to protect wildlife – include seeing Komodo dragons in Indonesia, Siamese crocodiles in Vietnam and giant armadillos in Bolivia.” Lonely Planet recommends them… Obey! (Only kidding, LP!)